John Doe
by Peacecomesfromwithin
Summary: Loosely based off of Tess Gerritsen's short story with the same title. Well, it was before it took on a life of it's own. RIZZLES I promise! Enjoy and please review! DISCLAIMER: I don't own them
1. Never Let Me Go

Dr. Maura Isles felt a heavy weight settle on her chest as she walked into the Boston Police Department. It bothered her that a place that had once been somewhere she felt confident and at ease, was now reduced to an awkward and tense environment. Not that it was entirely unexpected. When she and Jane had finally decided to admit their feelings for each other and start a romantic relationship over a year ago, Maura had known this might happen should they ever break up. At the time, that threat hadn't mattered to her. She couldn't possibly ever imagine not being with Jane, so awkwardness at work after a break up never worried her. They were perfect together.

Most people would point out that they had a lot of differences, citing that as their reason for their surprise when the two women went public, but neither Maura nor Jane cared about their differences. In fact, it seemed to Maura that somehow their differences were what made their relationship exceptionally strong. Maura had a softer demeanor than Jane, a sliver of unspoiled childlike innocence that reminded Jane of the good still left in the world, when sometimes her job threatened to take that from her. Jane's tougher demeanor made Maura feel safe and accepted. Two things she had really never experienced before.

Trivial differences like Jane's love of baseball and everything greasy and Maura's fondness for documentaries and an all organic diet didn't matter. Neither did some of their bigger differences, like the social classes they grew up in. To everyone on the outside looking in, and to Maura as well, it seemed like nothing could break them up.

Until something did.

Maura didn't know what that something was, despite the long hours she had spent agonizing over it since they broke up 3 months ago. Nothing had happened to the pathologist's knowledge. She had just woken up one morning to find Jane gone, a brief note on the Detective's pillow explaining she didn't think their relationship was working any longer. They hadn't spoken of it since. They hadn't really spoken of anything other than work since ending their partnership.

Maura was beginning to feel a crushing loneliness and isolation. Just as she had during their fight after Jane shot Paddy Doyle, Jane had asked her mother to move out of Maura's guest house. Maura had felt that particular insult like a knife through the chest. Angela had been reluctant to go, but in the end she had left. That perceived betrayal stung almost as much as Jane making the request. To her credit, Angela still tried to reach out to Maura, insisting that she was still like a daughter to her and that she loved her, but Maura had pushed her away. Maura was tired of hurting and being lonely. Her analytical brain had looked at her dilemma as a cause and effect problem. Her grief, the effect, was caused by people leaving her. Therefore, her logical explanation was to stop having relationships with people all together.

So, there were no more family dinners with the Rizzolis, no more early morning coffee heart to hearts with Angela, no more friendly banters and jokes passed between Maura, Frost, and Korsak, and the most painful of all, no more anything with Jane. Maura was truly alone, and even though she tried telling herself she had been alone for most of her life, she couldn't shake her heartache. Living without something is much harder after you've had it and thrived with it.

Nevertheless, Maura would hold her head high, and continue to strut onto crime scenes with her same confidence and fashionable clothing intact. Her mother had always taught her to never let anyone know you're hurting. Her mother had always been very reserved and poised, something Maura hadn't been very good at. Until now. Practice makes perfect and Maura was definitely getting plenty of practice.

She was in perfect form as she waited for the elevator. Her red dress was wrinkle free, her feet were encased in black stilettos, her makeup was spotless, her hair was styled, and her eyes were cold and as expressionless as the mask on her face.

"Hey, Doc," Korsak said, surprising her as he came to stand beside her. She kept her face passive. Her fingers tightening on her eco friendly reusable coffee cup the only indication of her distress.

"Good morning, Detective," Maura replied, her voice cool with professionalism. Korsak felt his shoulders sag slightly. He had always been Detective Korsak, but since Maura and Jane's split he was merely Detective. A small change under normal circumstances, but it still felt like a punch to the gut every time he heard it. In fact, she had started referring to all of them with a simple 'Detective'. Adding their names to the end seemed much too personal for this Maura's liking. It was one of the many things about this new Dr. Isles that troubled Korsak.

"So, how was your weekend?" He asked politely, refusing to give up on getting some kind of 'old Maura' reply from this new cyborg edition. Sure, she had always been a little odd and they often joked that maybe she really was a cyborg, but at least back then she had been a cyborg with feelings.

"It was fine, thank you for asking."

Strike one.

"Beautiful day out isn't it?"

Maura didn't answer that time, only emitting a low hum of agreement in the back of her throat.

Strike two.

As Korsak opened his mouth to try again, the elevator arrived and Maura escaped onto it in a blur of red. Since it was going down and he needed to go up he had no reason to follow her.

Strike three.

Time to give my report, Korsak thought sadly. He took his elevator to the main floor and walked briskly into the cafe. He locked eyes with Angela briefly before taking a seat in the corner. Angela quickly finished helping her last costumer and made her way over to his table. She had barely slid into the chair across from him before the questions started. Korsak tried to answer each one as she asked it, his mouth opening and closing comically as Angela didn't let him get a word in edgewise.

"How was she? Did she open up a little? Did she look ok? Like she's been sleeping and eating? Was-"

"Angela, slow down," Korsak finally managed to say. "She was...polite."

"Oh," Angela muttered, her body literally deflating in disappointment. Her eyes glossed over with tears she refused to let fall. "Well, did she look like she was taking care of herself?"

Korsak paused before answering her, his mind pulling up the Docs appearance from just moments before.

"Physically she looks fine, but her eyes..." He wasn't quite sure how to put into words what he had seen in them. Or hadn't. "It's like...I don't know, like no ones home."

"Poor baby," Angela muttered, bringing a fist to her mouth as she fought back tears. "I shouldn't have left her like that."

"You were put in an impossible position," Korsak assured her, laying a warm hand over her smaller one.

"She won't talk to me. Neither of them will. God, Vince what if I've lost both my girls forever?"

"They've had fights before. One pretty big one if I remember correctly."

"Those were as friends. This is different. Besides do you remember how they got over it the last time? It's not like we can put them in a car, crash it, start shooting at them, and force Jane to cut open Maura's leg."

"Let's hope something that drastic isn't what it takes this time."

Angela nodded in agreement, worry wrapping it's familiar icy fingers around her heart seemingly with no intention of letting go any time soon.

* * *

Jane stared blankly at her computer screen, blatantly ignoring the pile of paperwork teetering dangerously off the edge of her desk. She looked up as Korsak breezed by her to settle in his own chair, a steaming cup of coffee in his hands.

"How's my mother?"

"What?" Korsak asked, trying to feign innocence and failing miserably.

"Unless you pulled that cup of coffee out of your ass, you got it at the cafe."

"Not necessarily. I could have gotten it at Star...Star..."

"Starbucks," Frost offered from his desk, without looking up, hoping to avoid engaging in whatever uncomfortable conversation was about to follow. Jane smirked as she stared at Korsak.

"Ok, so I got coffee from your mother, big deal," Korsak replied, this time trying to feign nonchalance and once again, failing miserably.

"I know she has you spying on Mau- Dr. Isles."

Frost inwardly groaned and tried to disappear even further behind his desk. Jane and Maura were both his friends, even if Maura didn't seem to want anything to do with anyone lately, and he didn't want to be put in the middle. Jane was a big girl and if she wanted to know about Maura, she could go see for herself. And Frost was going to tell her that ...just not right now... while she had her gun.

"She's worried," Korsak replied, giving in to honesty. "Maura won't talk to her. Or me for that matter."

"She talks to you," Jane argued weakly.

"Sure, about cases. I couldn't even get her to comment on the weather this morning."

Jane's face fell and she slid her gaze to the floor. Her intentions had never been to hurt Maura this badly. Hell, she hadn't wanted to hurt her at all, but it was inevitable for...reasons. Jane wasn't quite ready to go there just yet. Even within the confines of her own mind. The trio settled into a thick silence until their beepers went off simultaneously, signaling a new case.

* * *

Maura had beaten the Detectives to the scene of their next case and was leaning over the body of an attractive young woman. The woman was slim and muscular with curly blonde hair and lifeless blue eyes that seemed to be imploring Maura to help her. The woman's shirt was ripped open and a single gun shot wound to the center of the forehead made it pretty obvious what had killed her. Poor woman had been murdered in her own home. A nice home, Maura thought as she looked around. The woman was clearly wealthy and also seemed to live alone. There were no personal photographs around leading Maura to believe this woman had led a rather solitary life, much like Maura herself. The mailmen had called it in, when he had seen the body while pushing her mail through the slot on her door. If he hadn't noticed her, it could have been weeks before the BPD would have been made aware of her murder.

Footsteps behind her alerted Maura that the Detectives had arrived. She steeled herself in preparation of seeing Jane. When she spoke her voice was cool and professional.

"She's been dead for 12 hours," Maura told them, not giving any of them a chance to make small talk or ask questions. "Making her time of death between 10 and 11pm last night. Cause of death is a single bullet wound to the forehead. It also appears she was sexually assaulted," She nodded at her colleague, silently telling him to stay with the body and bring it back to the morgue when the Detectives were finished. She rose to her feet and came face to face with Jane. She stumbled back a little in an attempt to put more physical distance between them. Jane grabbed her forearm to steady her, making Maura's skin burn. "Thank you," She said, her voice emotionless. Jane didn't let go for a moment and Maura felt her searching her face and eyes for the same thing that Korsak had been looking for this morning.

_It's not here_, Maura thought, _because you killed it_. As if Jane could sense her thoughts she suddenly pulled her hand away quickly.

"Sure thing, Doc."

Maura squared her shoulders and then disappeared under the yellow tape and out of the house.

"She guessed," Frost said softly, looking shocked even as the words spilled from his lips. He hadn't meant to say them out loud, knowing it would only cause more drama. Jane's face hardened and she followed the Medical Examiner out of the house.

"Let's hope they figure this out soon," Korsak muttered, bending on old knees to stare at the body below him. "This seems too familiar."

"She looks a lot like Dr. Isles," Frost agreed.

"Not only that, she lives a lot like the Doc. No husband...or wife, no pictures of friends or family. Wealthy and alone."

Frost looked at the door two of his closest friends had just disappeared through. "Yea, just like the Doc."

* * *

Jane saw Maura opening the door to her blue prius and hurried to catch up to her.

"Maura!" It caught Maura's attention, but when Maura saw who had called her name she turned back to her car. Jane broke into a sprint and grabbed the car door to prevent Maura from closing it. A glimmer of anger, the most emotion the medical examiner had shown in months, flashed across Maura's face. It was gone as quickly as it had come and Jane wondered if she had even seen it at all. Jane realized Maura was staring at her impatiently and everything she had been about to say died in her throat. _'I'm sorry, I can't stand to see you hurting like this.'_ "I thought we were being professionals. What if I had needed to talk about the case?" _'Please forgive me, baby. I love you so much.'_

_'How could you leave me?'_ "If you had wanted to talk about the case you would have called me Dr. Isles. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a lot of work waiting for me." _'How could you do this to me?'_

Maura tried to shut the door, but Jane held strong. "Look, I don't understand why we can't be friends. Or why you won't talk to my mother or Korsak or Frost."

Maura's eyes widened and then narrowed in an intense anger. "You asked your mother to leave, not me! As for why we can't be friends?! Are you really asking me that?!" Maura shook her head, her soft curls bouncing off her shoulders making Jane stare in awe at the beauty that Maura embodied.

"I'm sorry," Jane replied, aware how desperate and vulnerable her voice sounded, but past caring.

"Let go of my car, Detective," Maura hissed. Jane reluctantly let go and stepped back. Maura slammed the door and roared down the road, away from Jane, away from the only thing that could still make her human.

* * *

Jane reentered the crime scene and looked down at the body. Flashes from the crime scene techs cameras and the chatter from the uniforms collecting evidence went barely noticed as Jane stared at the woman's face. The resemblance to Maura was frightening.

"Wh-what do we know?" Jane asked.

"Her name is Melissa James, 32 years old," Frost replied, looking down at the information on his IPAD. "Lives alone, doesn't even own a cat."

"We don't believe she has any family or if she does they aren't very close," Korsak added.

"So, we're just all in a guessing mood today, are we?" Jane spat, putting her hands on her hips. Korsak and Frost shared a look. Clearly the talk outside hadn't gone well.

"No pictures anywhere and the neighbors report that they've seen a couple of different guys around, but they never last long. No one has seen anyone else visit Melissa. Her neighbors have never even spoken to her."

"I'm sorry," Jane replied softly, her shoulders sagging in exhaustion. "I didn't mean to snap at you."

"It's alright," Korsak assured her. Frost gave her a small smile in agreement. Jane smiled gratefully at them.

"Alright, let's figure out who killed her."

* * *

Maura heard the doors to her morgue open and she looked up from the body. Frost was standing by the sink, already looking a little green from the sight of Melissa James insides exposed for all to see.

"I haven't finished the autopsy yet, Detective," Maura told him, before looking back at the body. Frost took a deep breath and stepped closer to the table. Maura looked up again, curiosity flashing in her eyes. Frost gave her a look that he hoped said he wasn't leaving and waited for her to place her scalpel down on the table beside her.

"She looks like you," Frost said without preamble. Maura looked at him shocked, clearly not expecting those to be the words that came out of her mouth. Recovering quickly, she glanced down at the face of Melissa James.

"I suppose we bear some resemblance. I'm not sure what that adds to the-"

"I want you to be careful."

"Excuse me?" Maura asked, her eyes widening in shock.

"This killer might be targeting wealthy women who live alone and it appears you're his type."

"With one body that's an awful lot of assumption-"

"Please, Maura. Just, be careful," Frost pleaded softly. He glanced once more at the body, made a classic 'Frost grossed out' look and left Maura to her thoughts. Maura stared at the empty space where Frost had stood moments before and began to feel everything crashing around her. She ripped off her gear, starting with her goggles, then her gloves, then her gown, before rushing to her office.

She quickly closed the door, then the blinds, and sat down on her couch. The first sob was loud and Maura jumped, startled that the noise had come from her. Hot tears began slipping down her face at an alarming rate. The taste of salt filled her senses as the tears landed on her lips. Another sob tore from her throat and she slid from her couch to her knees. She wrapped her arms around her middle and let herself cry.

* * *

Jane looked up as Frost came back into the squad room, her eyes following him suspiciously.

"Where were you?"

"Went to see if the Doc had finished the autopsy. She hasn't."

Jane nodded, deciding not to push it, and stood up. She walked towards their board trying to see something that wasn't there yet. As her eyes glanced quickly over the photograph of Melissa James, it was Maura's face she saw staring lifelessly at nothing. Jane's eyes slammed back to the picture, her heart racing, but the image had returned to the correct woman. Breathing a sigh of relief, Jane ran a hand through her hair.

"I need coffee," Jane said rushing out of the room. When Jane was gone, Korsak looked over at Frost.

"Where were you really?"

"I was at the morgue. I've got a bad feeling about this. I just told Maura to be careful," Frost replied, his eyes daring Korsak to challenge his decision. Korsak merely smiled proudly.

* * *

Angela looked up and saw Jane coming towards her. She smiled at her daughter and put down the dish rag she had been using to clean the counter. Jane poured herself some coffee and sat down at the counter in front of her mother.

"Rough case?" Angela asked, sympathetically. Jane nodded as she stared into the dark coffee in her styrofoam cup.

"Korsak told me Maura won't talk to you," Jane said after a few moments of silence. Angela looked surprised by the change of subject, but recovered quickly.

"I think she feels like I abandoned her."

"I never should have asked you to move out of her guest house. She loved having you there," Jane smiled sadly. "You were the mother she had never had, but always deserved."

"Why did you ask me to leave, Jane?" Angela's voice was soft and curious, not angry like Jane had expected.

"I didn't want a reason to go back to her house. If I had I would have begged her to take me back."

"Would that have been so bad?"

Jane pictured Melissa James, with her blonde curls, dead and violated in the morgue.

"Yes," Jane replied, rising from her seat and leaving the cafe. Angela sighed, her shoulders physically deflating in defeat. That was the most Jane had opened up about what happened with Maura, but Angela still didn't feel any closer to figuring out what went wrong. She didn't have long to sit with her thoughts as she saw Maura walking quickly down the busy hallway. Angela raced around the counter and into the hallway. Maura was just about at the door.

"Maura!" Angela called, causing the medical examiner to stop and turn around. Their eyes met and for a brief second and Angela could see the pain her other daughter was feeling in the younger woman's tormented eyes. Hastily reapplied mascara and eye liner told Angela that Maura had been crying recently. Everyone else in the busy hallway ceased to exist as Angela stared hopefully into Maura's blue green eyes. It only took seconds, however, for Maura's walls to slam back up. Her eyes went cold, her detached mask slipped onto her pretty face, and she turned away, disappearing out the door in a flurry of red and blonde. Feeling even more defeated than before, Angela returned to her cafe.

* * *

AN: A small taste of what's to come should anyone want it. Please let me know!

AN2: The title of this chapter and the next few at least are titles of Florence and the Machine songs


	2. Shake It Out

Thank you sooooo much for the reviews, favorites, and follows! Sorry this took so long, school started up again, but I'm going to do my best to keep the updates coming. As always please let me know what you think! Thanks and enjoy :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Rizzoli and Isles. (If I did the show would be a lot more like Nikki and Nora lol)

* * *

After an hour of going around in circles with each other, Frost, Korsak, and Jane were no closer to finding a suspect.

"Did the canvas of the neighborhood turn up anything?" Jane asked, still staring at crime scene photos on the board with her hands on her hips. She chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully.

"No," Frost answered. "Nobody heard or saw anything."

"So, maybe she knew her attacker?"

"That's guessing, Detective," Maura tsked, joining them in the bullpen. She had a standard issue BPD file in her hand and she handed it to the closest Detective. Who just happened to be Jane. Their fingers practically cackled in electricity as the tips brushed against each others lightly when Jane accepted the file. Jane's heart thudded in her chest as she remembered the ways in which Maura knew how to use those miraculously gifted fingers. Maura's trained hands had the precision and confidence one might expect from someone in her profession, but they also held a gentleness that was all Maura. Jane missed those hands running through her hair, trailing soft caresses up her arms and down her sides, leaving goosebumps in their wake as they glided up her thighs.

Maura pulled her hand back quickly slamming Jane back into reality. She bit back a smile at the thinly veiled flustered look in Maura's blue green eyes. It was clear to Jane that Maura had felt it too, and that made Jane a very happy woman.

Maura cleared her throat and turned away from Jane, instead focusing on the other two Detectives in the room. "The tox screen discovered Gamma-Hydroxybutyric Acid in her system. Her blood alcohol level was 0.032, which would indicate she had one glass of very expensive champagne before she was drugged."

"You find anything else on the body?" Jane asked, intent on making it as hard as possible for Maura to pretend she wasn't in the room.

"Cause of death was the single bullet wound to her cerebral cortex," The Medical Examiner announced. "I found semen and Senior Criminalist Chang is running the sample through CODIS. There are no defensive wounds to suggest she struggled, which is often common of victims who were drugged with Gamma-Hydroxybutyric Acid and I found no other trace evidence on the victim's body or clothes. I'll have Chang bring you the DNA results when she's finished."

"Thanks Doc," Korsak called, but she was already disappearing around the corner, headed for the elevators. Jane stared after her, longing for the days when she might follow Maura down, pretending to need more information, but coming back with stinging scratch marks on her back and a satisfied grin on her slightly swollen lips.

"Maybe the perp drugged her at a bar and then brought her back to her place," Frost hypothesized.

"How did he know where she lived?" Korsak challenged. Jane thought for a moment in an attempt to imagine a scenario of the last hour of their victims life.

"So, we're back to the theory that he knew her. What did she do for a living?"

Frost typed at his computer for a few moments before looking up. "Real Estate Agent, pretty successful one too."

"Could've been a client," Korsak added. Jane nodded.

"Frost, what company did she work for?"

"She didn't. She worked for herself."

"I'll go check out her office. Do you have the address?" Korsak asked. Frost nodded as he scribbled the address down on a sticky note. He handed it to Korsak, who left to follow the new lead.

"Take Frankie with you, would ya?" Jane called after him.

"Already on it," Korsak replied over his shoulder. Jane looked back at the board, her brow furrowing in concentration.

"What are you thinking?" Frost asked.

"She was a little dressed up to go to a bar," Jane replied. "Check and see if there were any benefit dinners in the area last night." Frost turned back to his computer and then looked up and smiled.

"Our vic is in one of the pictures on the website of the Hilton Inn on Dalton St., from last nights benefit dinner for breast cancer research," Frost told her, swinging his computer screen around to show Jane the picture. Jane stared at it intently. Melissa was arm in arm with an older looking man who reeked of money and privilege. She was smiling, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. Jane had seen that look many times when Maura was forced to go to one of these high society benefit dinners. She would much rather donate the money and skip the agonizing hours of fake smiles and air kisses.

"She doesn't want to be there."

"How can you tell?" Frost asked, squinting at the picture to see what Jane was seeing.

"I've seen that look on Maura's face every time her parents drag her to one of these. She'd rather just donate the money and skip the dinner," Jane smiled sadly. "We had this bit where I would come and get her after an hour and say there was a break in the case and we needed her expert opinion." Frost gave his partner an understanding smile.

"Let's get the surveillance tapes from the hotel. Entrance, lobby, and the banquet hall. I want the guest list as well. Think you can get me a warrant, partner?"

"I'm on it," Frost replied, picking up his desk phone to make the call. Jane headed towards the elevator, hoping Frost would have the warrant by the time she got there. She was stopped at the elevator doors by Suzie Chang as the young criminalist stepped off the elevator.

"Detective Rizzoli, I have the DNA results," She said, holding up a folder.

"Any match?" Jane asked, sticking her arm out to keep the elevator from moving.

"No, but the semen is linked to 3 other cases."

"What?" Jane asked, letting the elevator go and taking the results. "Why don't we know about them?"

"Because Melissa James is the first women he's killed."

Jane's brown eyes scanned the results, her frown deepening. "The other three women were all wealthy, they all lived alone, and they all claim to have met a similar looking man at three different benefit dinners," Jane's face fell. "All held at different hotels. Shit!" Jane muttered. "Thanks, Suzie."

"Sure thing," Suzie said, heading back down to the labs. Jane continued to stare at the three other women's faces while she waited for the next elevator. Her gut tightening painfully in terror with each passing minute. Not only were the women wealthy and led solitary lives, but all three of them had long curly blonde hair and blue eyes. Just like Melissa and just like...the elevator dinged and Jane looked up as someone stepped in front of her...Maura.

"Have you seen these?" Jane asked, wrapping her long fingers around Maura's forearm gently to keep her from walking away. Maura glared icily at the hand on her arm, but Jane didn't back down.

"Of course I've seen them," Maura replied in irritation when she realized Jane wasn't going to let her go without an answer.

"Have you looked at the pictures?" Jane realized her voice was rising as her panic increased, but she didn't care.

"I glanced at them."

"Jesus, Maura. Don't you see it?!" Jane snapped, taking out the three photographs of the other victims. Maura bit back a growl of annoyance and glanced at the photos.

"See what?"

Jane's anger was just about at it's limit. With fear egging her anger on there was the potential for this situation to get ugly.

And loud.

Jane pulled Maura by her arm into the nearby restroom, grateful that it was empty and locked the door before turning back to face an annoyed Maura.

"Oh I don't know, Doctor, wealthy women who live alone. All of them blonde with blue eyes. You're telling me you don't see the resemblance?"

"You and Detective Frost are paranoid. Do you have any idea how many women with blonde hair, natural and dyed, live in Boston-"

"I don't want a google lesson, Maura!"

"Than what do you want?" Maura asked, her face flushing in anger.

"I want you to be safe!" 'I want you to forgive me.' "I want you to take this seriously!" 'I want you to take me back!' "I want-"

"You don't get to want those things anymore! Do you understand that?!" Maura felt her chest tighten as she struggled to contain the emotions that had been boiling inside of her for the last three months. "You don't have the right to worry about me anymore!" Maura spat, stepping towards Jane angrily. Jane took a step back until her back hit the door behind her. She was shocked at the intensity of emotions pouring from Maura's eyes.

"Maur-"

"You don't have the right to tell me what to take seriously!" Maura continued, ignoring Jane. "You decided on your own to end our relationship!" Maura's eyes slipped closed as she took a deep calming breath. "You took that decision away from me with no explanation. So, I get to make the decision to not talk about my weekend with Korsak. I get to make the decision to not talk to your mother. I get to make the decision to be alone. And I don't have to explain myself to anyone, especially not to you," Maura glared at her for another moment before stepping back. Jane grabbed her upper arm in a panic. If she couldn't make Maura listen and something happened to her...God she couldn't even go there.

"I will never stop worrying about you. I will never stop trying to keep you safe, do _you_ understand _that_?" Maura weakly tried to pull away, her anger slipping through her fingers like sand as she struggled to hold onto it. Jane refused to let go of her arm and began stroking it with her thumb. "You are still the most important thing in my life."

Maura's eyes narrowed accusingly. "You expect me to believe that?"

"I expect you to feel that," Jane whispered, her eyes glassy with tears as she pulled Maura closer. She felt Maura soften in her arms and she looked into her eyes hopefully.

Maura felt her heart race inside her chest as she stared into her former lover's eyes. She did feel that, she felt it with more certainty than she had ever felt anything in her life. So, why had Jane left her? The hope she saw in Jane's eyes made everything even more confusing. Jane acted as if it was Maura who had ended the relationship and she was hoping Maura was about to change her mind.

It all became too much too quickly. The feel of Jane's thumb stroking her arm, Jane's natural scent mixed with her shampoo bathing her in warmth and familiarity, Jane's brown eyes hopeful and loving. Maura reached up and let her fingertips barely graze Jane's skin as she traced her jawline.

Jane felt her lips part slightly and she tilted her head towards Maura. Seeking permission, because she did understand she didn't have the right to ask Maura for anything. Maura pressed her body fully against Jane's, her figure easily sliding into Jane's curves, where she fit so well. To both women it felt like coming home. Jane's eyes slipped closed and she felt Maura's lips barely touch her own.

"You need to work out whatever issue took you away from me before I ever let myself trust you again," Maura murmured against her lips. Jane opened her eyes, a feeling of devastation suddenly threatening to drown her.

"You don't trust me?"

The childlike innocence and vulnerability in Jane's voice was almost Maura's undoing. Somehow she managed to pull back enough to put more space between them.

"With my life? Always. With my heart? Not anymore," Maura replied truthfully, before stepping back completely. She unlocked the door and pulled a pliant Jane away from it. Jane watched sadly as Maura disappeared from the bathroom leaving her alone with her regrets.

* * *

Jane entered the Hilton Inn, thankful that her partner was on his way with the warrant. After her encounter with Maura in the bathroom she needed to concentrate on something else. Solving this case was just what she needed. Her eyes scanned the lobby, taking notice of the cameras situated across from the elevators, the door, and behind the desk. A tall, thin man with balding hair gave her a fake smile as she approached the front desk.

"Name please?"

"Detective Rizzoli," Jane replied, flashing her badge. The smile slipped from the man's face.

"Are you from Vice?"

"Homicide."

"Oh," The man replied, actually breathing a sigh of relief. Jane raised an eyebrow at his odd behavior. Deciding to revisit it later, she put the photo of Melissa James that had been on the website on the desk.

"Recognize this woman or the man with her?"

"No sorry," He replied after studying the picture for a few moments. "Are they dead?"

"Just the woman, after attending the benefit dinner for breast cancer research that was held here last night. I'm gonna need your tapes from last night from every camera in this room, the banquet room, and the entrance. I'm also going to need last night's guest list."

"I'm afraid I'm going to need-"

"A warrant, yea I figured. My partner should be here with one any minute," Jane told him. "In the meantime, do you know of anyone who might know who these two are?"

"The catering staff maybe? They're all here getting ready for a wedding reception later this evening. The door to the banquet room is at the end of the hall and at the back of that room will be another door that leads to the kitchen."

"Thanks. Just give the tapes and list to my partner when he gets here," Jane told him as she walked down the hallway. She entered the large and beautifully decorated banquet room and headed toward the back door that led to the kitchen. Just as she was about to enter the kitchen, a frazzled looking woman came bursting into the room with an air of panicked energy. She had short dark curls that sprung out in every direction making Jane's own curls look tame in comparison. Her brown eyes were frantic and her thin toned body was tense. She was about a head shorter than Jane, but looked like if she had the right momentum she could knock the Detective to the ground with ease.

The woman glanced at Jane momentarily, before heading quickly towards a group of teens who were setting one of the tables. Looking around, Jane noticed all of the catering staff bustling around her couldn't have been older than 23 or 24. Some looked as young as fifteen. Jane found that odd for such a fancy hotel, but brushed the thought off. After several of the staff managed to breeze by her carrying a tray or more dishes before she could even utter a word, she finally caught one.

The girl looked to be about 20 or 21 years old and had long brown hair and blue eyes. Her eyes widened in surprise when she stared at Jane's badge.

"Who's in charge here?" Jane asked the girl. The girl pointed at the panicked woman with black curls that Jane had seen earlier.

"Amy, she's the boss," the blonde replied.

"Thanks, hey, do you recognize these people?" Jane asked showing the girl the photograph. Her blue eyes studied the image intently, before Jane saw recognition flash through her orbs.

"Yea, that's Mr. Ralph and Ms. James. They were here for the benefit last night."

"You worked last night?"

"I'm trying to pay off my undergraduate student loans and put myself through graduate school. I work every night," The girl replied dryly. "I only know who they are because their table was in my square and they were really friendly. Good tippers too."

"How did Ms. James seem?"

"Bored, but she and Mr. Ralph seemed to hit it off. I think she was gonna try to sell his house for him."

"Did she leave with Mr. Ralph?"

"No, I think she left with some blonde haired guy. He wasn't in my square though so I didn't catch his name."

"Can you describe him a little bit more?"

"Hey!" The black haired woman suddenly called, advancing on Jane like a lion charging after it's prey. She stepped between Jane and the blonde and put her hands on her hips.

"She bothering you, Sof?"

"No, she's a Detective, here about one of the guests from last night," the young girl assured her. Amy did not look assured and continued to glare up at Jane. Jane showed her her badge, but it did little to calm the woman down. Her eyes drifted over Jane's shoulder.

"The salmon shipment is here," Amy muttered. She turned to Sofie and put her hands on the young girl's shoulders. "You alright?" The girl nodded. "I'm gonna be right over there if you need me, ok, baby?"

"I know," Sofie replied, smiling softly. Amy nodded, finally convinced that Jane wasn't there to harm her employee. She turned back to Jane.

"Next time you wanna talk to one of my kids, you find me first. No one treats my kids with anything, but respect, you got me?"

Jane nodded, feeling like she was back in school getting reprimanded by one of the nuns. "Yes, ma'am." Amy nodded once and then went to accept the shipment. Jane looked at Sofie who was grinning from ear to ear. "Well she's...protective."

"We call her, Hurricane Amy," Sofie chuckled. "Most of us come from a pretty bad part of town, same place Amy grew up. She treats us all like we're her own flesh and blood. Don't mess with her kids," Sofie warned mockingly, but Jane had a feeling there was cold hard truth to that statement.

"That's kinda great," Jane replied, suddenly seeing Amy in a new, less terrifying light. "So, back to the blonde."

"Well, I don't really pay much attention to men," Sofie answered sheepishly. "I was looking at Ms. James, but I can tell you he was average height and weight, which I know doesn't give you much," Suddenly the girl's eyes lit up. "I had almost forgotten. I do know his name. He had on a name tag, it said Mr. Wright. I remember thinking that it was kinda funny, you know, if he ended up being her 'Mr. Right.'"

Jane smiled. "That's awesome, Sofie, thank you."

"Sure," Sofie smiled, pleased she was able to help. Jane pulled her card from her pocket and handed it to the blonde.

"If you think of anything else, give me a call, ok? Or if you just get into a scrape Amy can't help you out of."

"Thanks, Detective," Sofie beamed, taking the car and placing it in her apron.

"Good luck in grad school," Jane said, before turing to leave. She stopped and turned back around. "What are you going for?" Jane asked curiously.

"Social Work, I want to work with homeless children," Sofie replied, bringing a smile to Jane's face. Jane nodded and left the banquet hall, passing Amy as she left. Amy gave her a warning glare and Jane quickened her steps. She pitied anyone who ever tried to mess with one of Amy's kids. Jane continued to smile as she headed back towards the lobby. Sometimes it was hard to remember that there were good people in the world while she was in the middle of a case like this. Meeting Amy and Sofie was just what she needed to lift her spirits and remind her why she was a cop. Not only to catch the bad guys, but also to keep the good ones safe, like people who worked with homeless children and stood up for kids the rest of the world had forgotten. Jane saw Frost and a few officers collecting the tapes and list from the man at the front desk and Jane sighed.

This case felt different to her. Not only were the similarities between the victims and Maura unsettling to Jane, but something in her gut told her something was going to happen. Jane smiled as she pictured Maura telling her to stop listening to her intestines. Her mind flashed back to their earlier argument.

"Oh I don't know, Doctor, wealthy women who live alone. All of them blonde with blue eyes. You're telling me you don't see the resemblance?"

"You and Detective Frost are paranoid."

Jane shook her head as if to physically expel that train of thought. As much as she wished she and Frost were paranoid, two cops intestines said otherwise.

* * *

Fun Fact: Amy is based off my boss lol I think she's the only person I know who actually prefers the company of the 15-24 crowd haha For real don't mess with her kids! I've seen her take on very rich people when they're disrespectful to us. Everyone needs someone who's willing to go to bat for them like that in their life :)


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